Olivier Gaudéchoux was 26 and working in web marketing at Le Figaro when he launched LePantalon in August 2014 with co-founder Thibaud Godillot, after scouting manufacturing workshops and testing prototypes on his own time. The idea was narrow and specific: one well-cut chino, made from high-end fabric, at a price below what similar quality usually costs. Production stayed in Europe from the start, and the brand has kept that same single-category focus since.